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Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web. ca Abstract The Canadian Forces has a longstanding history of pro-active integration of women into operational roles. Over the past 20 years, women have been fully integrated into service as fighter pilots, surface mariners, and into combat roles. With the introduction of the new VICTORIA-class submarines into naval service in the late 1990's - and with them living conditions more conducive to mixed gender crews - Canada joined several other allied nations in fully integrating women into service in the submarine environment. Although only a handful of women currently serve aboard Canada's operational submarines, they have been seamlessly integrated into the environment with few problems. No attempts have been made to segregate the genders, and no special provision has been made for bunking or shower facilities. Reproductive issues have been addressed, including potential risks to the mother and fetus should a female submariner become pregnant, as well as other gynecological concerns. In addition, the psychological impact of mixed gender crewing has been explored using space-analogous operations. Advantages and disadvantages of mixed gender crews have been identified, and recommendations made to mitigate any potential negative impact on operations.
The Tribunal concluded that none of the risk arguments associated with physical capability, environmental conditions, social relationships, cohesion or motivation were sufficient to warrant the continued exclusion of women from combat roles, and stated that the policy was therefore discriminatory on the grounds of sex. The Tribunal, in its 1989 decision, ordered the Canadian Forces to fully integrate women into all remaining combat roles, including those aboard surface warships, in combat arms, and as fighter pilots. But the Tribunal issued a single exception to this order: submarines. While a bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR) did not exist with respect to combat roles (that is, combat effectiveness would not be diminished by the integration of women), the Tribunal accepted the argument that the exclusion of women from the submarine environment did constitute a BFOR since a lack of privacy was identified as a factor that would significantly impact operational effectiveness. In other words, the discriminatory effect was nullified or overcome' by the occupational requirement. The Tribunal did, however, state that if a time came when the Canadian Forces operated types of submarines where privacy issues were not as prominent as in the OBERON-class, this restriction could be examined again. Virtually all other allied submariner nations at the time also prohibited women from serving in submarines despite permitting them to serve in other combat environments. With the acquisition of the new VICTORIA-class submarines in the late 1990s, many of the conditions that originally lead the Human Rights Tribunal to recommend exclusion of women from submarine service were considered no longer valid.
Fewer functions on board the VICTORIA-class submarines are performed manually, allowing for a smaller crew (on average 55 vs. In addition, the new submarines are more spacious and are configured differently - there are two decks, so the main living areas and working areas are now on different decks (Figure 1). All these factors allow for more privacy and personal space, and a more habitable environment for two genders. Figure 1: Illustration of the Layout of a VICTORIA-class submarine Therefore, in 1998, the Chief of Maritime Staff (CMS) directed that a study be undertaken to determine if the presumed risk to operational effectiveness was still a valid assumption, and if there was a reason to continue to prohibit women from serving in submarines.
including a search of archival data, a literature review, a 2-week site visit to the OBERON-Class submarine HMCS OKANAGAN while underway, a site visit to a VICTORIA-class submarine alongside in the UK, discussions and correspondence with subject matter experts, and a survey. The study concluded with the recommendation that women should now be employed in the new VICTORIA-class submarines, acknowledging that the transition would not be easy and would take time. In 2001, the recommendations made in the study were adopted by the Canadian Navy and women were accepted into submarine service. In addition, several other factors were considered that could possibly affect implementation of mixed gender crewing, including the volunteer aspect of submarine service, health and medical care issues, and psychological aspects of mixed gender crews. The essence of the bunking problem was as follows: if the sexes were segregated, when a female member of the crew is landed or posted, finding a qualified submariner of the same occupation, rank and sex would be virtually impossible since the replacement pool of women is smaller - there are fewer women than men in the Navy, and in particular in the submarine service, especially in the early years of mixed gender crewing. While there is some flexibility in surface vessels to accommodate women separately and generally within their rank and occupation group, it is simply not possible to reconcile these requirements with the limitations imposed by the small and specialized crew of a submarine. Also, the implications of bunks going empty are more critical in submarines, since it is less able to sail with empty billets than a surface warship where segregated bunking is practiced. Finally, designating a specific area for female bunks in the relatively inflexible crew accommodation spaces aboard the VICTORIA-class submarines would simply be impossible without major structural changes to the interior of the submarine. Interestingly, survey results from the study indicated that there was much less resistance to the concept of mixed accommodations spaces amongst submariners than had been assumed by many senior submarine and surface naval personnel. Accordingly, it was recommended in the mixed gender crewing study that women should be employed in VICTORIA-class submarines only if the bunking policy was set such that bunks were assigned on a functional basis without regard to gender, that is, integrated vs. This recommendation was adopted without modification, and to date there have been no problems whatsoever with mixed gender bunking. Some of the lessons learned during the initial integration of women on board surface warships 12 years previously were helpful during the early days of conversion to mixed gender submarine crews. Also, as previously mentioned, the structural design and configuration of the new VICTORIA-class submarines is more amenable to men and women serving together, since the main working and living spaces are on different decks; Short of segregating the sexes, all reasonable efforts have been made to provide for privacy requirements for the benefit of both men and women. With a smaller crew, the common practice of hot bunking' on the old OBERON-class submarines - in which two sailors on opposite watch rotations shared the same bunk - is no longer employed in the new submarines. All submariners are now allocated individual bunks with privacy curtains. short/T-shirt) for sleeping and for relaxed dress in hot climates has been promulgated. In the very close quarters of the submarine environment, all crew members understand the need to respect each other's individual privacy whenever and as much as possible. Fraternization and inter-personal relationships between members of the boat's crew are strictly prohibited, as they have always been on board surface warships. With respect to personal ablutions, the single heads and washplace area in the VICTORIA-class submarine which was designated for officers is used by officers and any female crew members on board. Submarine service in Canada was, similarly, entirely voluntary until 1 Jan 1986 when insufficient volunteers necessitated a change in policy such that naval personnel could be directed in to submarine service when required if the number of volunteers was insufficient to man the submarines. The Cana...
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